Flute, Piccolo, Piano

Melanie is a teaching artist at heart. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in music performance and music education, graduating magna cum laude from SUNY Fredonia and a Master of Music in flute performance from the Hartt School. She has taught private flute and piano lessons for 18 years. She has taught general music, chorus and orchestra to students ranging from elementary school to conservatory and college. She has taught workshops on the "Origins of South American Folk Music'' with the Alturas Duo.  In addition to her busy performance and private teaching schedule, she is also an adjunct faculty member at the College of Saint Rose.  As a member of Quintocracy she is an artist in residence at Troy Savings Bank Music Hall and offers workshops for schools through BOCES. She is very much looking forward to co-teaching with pianist Melanie Hardage on some Improvisation workshops at Big Picture Learning Schools this Fall thanks to a Schenectady Arts and Education grant.

Melanie is an avid chamber musician and believes strongly in innovation, commissioning and premiering new music. She has worked with a multitude of composers on projects that speak to her including: Alex Ford's "Berus in the Woods" in collaboration with Electric City Puppets; Ralph Raymond Hays’ musicalization of the story "Keller's Heart" by John Gray; she has premiered music by Sean Pallatroni, Kary Contreras Galindo, Joshua Hummel, and made world premiere recordings of music for Masatora Goya's album, Dream Of Sailing, available on ITunes and Amazon; Nolan Stolz's Princess Ka'iulani, released on SCI/ Parma Recordings and "Latinos Ni de Aqui Ni de Alla'' on the Latin Heartbeat Orchestra album, El Regreso. Currently, she is recording an album of flute and guitar music by women composers with guitarist Scott Hill. As a member of the wind quintet Quintocracy, she premiered music for the silent film Nosferatu by Sina Kiai, and looks forward to presenting a program of music by women composers in the near future. Melanie has collaborated extensively with Quintocracy, Stringwynde, jazz bass legend Nat Reeves, traditional Irish harpist Hailey Hewitt, Philadelphia Fife and Drum Corps, guitarist Oren Fader, pianist Melanie Hardage, pianist Max Caplan, and Alturas Duo.